Farewell to Yishui
Author: King Luo Bin Era: Tang Dynasty Genre: Five Uniques Category: Unknown
Farewell to Yan Dan here, where the strong men are crowned.
The people were gone in those days, but the water is still cold today.
[Notes] (1) Yishui: In today’s Yixian County in northern Hebei Province. During the Warring States Period, the knight Jing Ke was entrusted by Prince Dan of the State of Yan (Yan Dan in the poem) to the State of Qin to assassinate the King of Qin to win the government (Qin Shihuang after the unification of China). Before leaving, Yan Dan and others saw him off in Yishui. Jing Ke said goodbye to everyone by singing the song "The wind is rustling and the water is cold; a strong man will never come back once he is gone." Later, he attempted to assassinate King Qin and was killed. (2) A strong man's hair rushes to his crown: A strong man refers to Jing Ke; a strong man's hair rushes to his crown, that is, his hair rushes to his crown with anger. He is so angry that his hair lifts up his hat. It describes being very angry.
[Translation] I think about the time when Jing Ke and Prince Dan of Yan were saying goodbye here, and the strong man sang tragic songs and was full of anger. The knights of the past are gone, but today's Yishui is still so cold.
Chen Xijin, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said: "The young man in Linhai was in desolation, and the official was in ruins. First he was cheated by paying tribute, and then he fled because of grass-roots" ("Luo Linhai's Notes"). These four sentences roughly summarize the tragic life of King Luo Bin.
King Luo Bin was indignant about his situation and deeply dissatisfied with Wu Zetian's rule. He was looking forward to the opportunity to do something to restore the Li and Tang dynasties. However, the sinking and depressing situation before this time came made the poet fall into the depression of hesitation and seeking. "Sending People to People in Yishui" is a masterpiece that reflects the poet's state of mind in a tortuous way.
According to historical records, at the end of the Warring States Period, Jing Ke avenged Prince Dan of Yan and wanted to use a dagger to threaten the King of Qin and return him to the land of the princes. Before leaving, Prince Dan of Yan and Gao Jianli and Yi of the Song Dynasty sent white robes (mourning clothes) to Yishui. Gao Jianli built the building, and Jing Ke sang in response: "The wind is rustling and the Yishui is cold. The strong men will never return once they are gone." The song was solemn and exciting, "all the soldiers were angry, and their fingers were raised." The first couplet of this poem, "Farewell to Yandan here, the strong man is proud of his crown," is about this incident. "This place" refers to Yishui in the title of the poem. "The strong man rushes to his crown" is used to summarize the tragic farewell scene and the character's passionate and generous mood, expressing the poet's deep respect for Jing Ke. Now when I say goodbye to my friends by the Yishui River, it is natural to think of the story of Jing Ke. However, the way the poem is written gives people a sense of abruptness. It abandons the common content of farewell poems such as friendship, farewell, longing after farewell, etc. Instead, it touches the branches and branches and goes straight into the historical events. . This kind of brushwork that breaks out of the sky reflects the uncontrollable anger in the poet's heart. By nostalgic for the past and the present, he integrates the heroic farewell of Yishui in the past and the gift of Yishui today, thus creating a new chapter for the poet. The following lyricism prepares the conditions and brews the atmosphere.
The second couplet "People are gone in those days, but the water is still cold today." These two sentences use a contrasting sentence pattern, and the former sentence naturally leads to the latter sentence. This last sentence is the center of the whole poem. It embodies emotion in the scenery and contrasts within the scenery, which not only means that Jing Ke’s high moral character and integrity, which is not afraid of violence, will still exist for thousands of years; it also implies the poet’s deep feelings about the real environment. The two function words "Ji" and "Jiu" are used in the poem, which not only makes the sentence natural and fluent, but also makes the syllables become slow and soothing. Reading it gives people a feeling of irritation, and more effectively expresses the feeling of depression and difficulty. Grief.
This poem is titled "Giving Someone Away", but it does not describe the scene of the friend's separation, nor does it tell us who the person is sending it to. However, people can completely imagine from its content the passionate and heroic scene of "generously leaning on the long sword and singing a song to send it to you", and they can also imagine that the person to whom it is sent must be a true and sincere friend. Because only in this way can the poet be willing and able to uncontrollably express his inner feelings when parting, and omit all the clichés of farewell. This poem is titled as a gift, but it is purely about expressing feelings and expressing aspirations. As a part of the farewell poem, this quatrain can be said to be the first to become popular.